


Total Eclipse of the Heart

by mmmdraco



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Fluff and Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-13
Updated: 2014-06-13
Packaged: 2018-02-04 12:43:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 893
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1779550
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mmmdraco/pseuds/mmmdraco
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Derek's used to lunar eclipses, but this is something else.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Total Eclipse of the Heart

**Author's Note:**

> Written for a prompt I got on [my tumblr](http://superhappygenki.tumblr.com) for a Sterek fic inspired by Bonnie Tyler's "Total Eclipse of the Heart", hence just taking the title wholesale.

Derek’s used to lunar eclipses. They don’t happen all that often, but he is generally prepared for them. A total loss of all of his power isn’t as big a deal as it might seem, after all. Most things that would attack werewolves were other werewolves, and Derek has honed his body to be prepared for fights in a supernaturally weakened form just in case. Yeah, an eclipse had been used against him before, but it was the exception rather than the rule.

That’s the kind of eclipse he’s use to; the kind he understands. It’s not the only kind he has experienced, though. His “love” for Kate had eclipsed his sense, and then his pain because of what she had done had eclipsed everything else. Any time things have seemed to come together, some new pain insinuated itself in his life and put everything else in its shadow. When he’s being honest with himself, it’s why he tries his best to keep Stiles at arm’s length. The kid is a spark and makes Derek resonate with his own fire, but their lives are powder kegs and Derek can’t see a way clear of not obliterating everything around them.

But every time he sees Stiles’ eyes widen at him in some moment of surprise, those bright eyes that seem to suck in the light and hold them, he is powerless. Stiles is a force to be reckoned with, even if he doesn’t realize it, but he holds so much power over Derek that it’s scary to see him sometimes. Every time he’s put himself in someone else’s hands, he’s regretted it. He doesn’t want to regret Stiles, isn’t even sure he’d need to, but the past has taught him too much about how wanting and getting are two entirely different things for someone like him.

He’s on edge all of the time around Stiles, constantly wondering how he’s supposed to deal with someone who is destroying him when he’s not actually certain he minds. It’s not something he can fight against because he is weak in that state. Love is supposed to cause paroxysms of joy or something and instead he just gets stuck with the pangs of longing and the wish that he could overcome his past and remember what it felt like to be reckless with something other than just his own body. He’s a fucking werewolf and he spends his days pining because it still seems a better idea than putting himself out there again and finding that the thing he wants is going to hurt so much more than just the wanting.

It’s Stiles who shines a light on it, though; on them. “We haven’t really talked in a while,” he says after everything has settled and they’ve got a momentary lull in the constant violence that life in Beacon Hills has provided. “It seems like you’re avoiding me. Are you?”

Derek laughs, a low, pathetic laugh that tastes acrid, and turns away slightly because Stiles’ eyes are amber like an unsullied beta’s in the light. “I thought you didn’t want to be involved in all of this.” He’s not certain what he’s including in ‘all of this’.

Stiles touches his wrist and sucks in a breath that he holds a moment before speaking. “If you’re involved in it, I’m gonna get involved, Derek. I don’t know why, but life doesn’t really just let us leave each other alone. So, I figure, why let life push us around, right? If we’re already pulling each other, then maybe life will decide to just leave us the hell alone.”

It’s so much like something his mother, Talia, would say. Derek remembers her talking about the lunar eclipse when he was young, stroking his hair back from his forehead as she stood behind him looking up at the moon. “You can fight it, you know. But, some things are inevitable. Give in, and enjoy yourself, and then you’ll have all of your strength when it’s over.” It’s a moment he hadn’t remembered until hearing Stiles’ words. They sound too much like hope, but Derek’s been avoiding his mother’s advice for too long. He pulls Stiles into a tight hug, crushing him against his chest.

"Whoa!" Stiles laughs and lets his own arms wrap around Derek. It feels like that moment when the moon slides into view once more and he can feel that there is something in him that is whole once more. "Hey, big guy, I take it you missed me, too?"

Derek lets his fingers splay against Stiles’ shoulderblades and smiles. “I think I love you.” The words seem childish to his own ears, but Stiles pulls back and gives him a beatific smile that is like moonglow. “Is that okay?”

Stiles nods once, his fingers digging into Derek’s biceps. “Yeah. It’s totally okay. So, if I break into 80s power ballads, don’t assume it’s bad because it’s good. Very good.”

Pressing a soft kiss to Stiles’ forehead, Derek lets his voice drop low. “I’ll make a request then. How about ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart’?”

"That’s kind of a duet, though." Stiles looks up and his eyes widen at the look on Derek’s face. "But, yeah. Okay. Totally up for a duet." It doesn’t take long for Derek to realize that Stiles doesn’t actually make him powerless at all.


End file.
